Display and sale rack for merchandise



(No Model.)

S. R. DUNLAP.

DISPLAY AND SALE RACK EUR MERCHANDISE.

No. 405,400. Patented June 18', 1880..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL ROBERTSON DUNLAP, OF EUTAV, ALABAMA.

DISPLAY AND lSALE RACK FOR MERCHANDISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,400, dated June 18, 1889. Application filed March l, 1889. Serial No. 302,217. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL ROBERTSON DUNLAP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eutaw, in the county of Greene and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display and Sale Racks for Merchandise; and I do hereby declare the following' to be afull, clear, and exact ized in spaces in stores which are usually regarded as Waste room, or undesirable or inconvenient for either the storing or display of goods, and which at a glance shall present to the eye of an observer the class of goods sought for without removing or handling the same, as is ordinarily the case in stores Where merchandise is deposited 'upon shelves or in drawers; and, further, which shall secure the goods from attack by rats and mice, and which, in the event of fire occurring in the building in which the rack is used, may readily be removed to a place of safety with all the merchandise displayed upon it.

In the accompanying drawings, A, Figure l, indicates `a room occupied for the display and sale of merchandise, B B its end walls, and C its ceiling. Fig. 2 shows the hooks and clasps, which are self-retaining on the wires g, used for confining goods upon the rack.

D indicates my improved rack for the display and sale of merchandise, suspended from the ceiling of said room, as shown, and so balanced by a weight that it may be readily drawn from an elevation near the ceiling to a convenient pointnear the iioor, where the goods secured upon the rack may be critically inspected or removed therefrom, as occasion may require.

In practice the rack D, Fig. 1, may for convenience be made some six feet in length and from four to six feet in height, care being taken that the height of the same shall not exceed the height of the room in which it is to be used, and thereby obstruct its ready removal in the event of iire.

In Fig. l, E and E are outer tubular metal posts, E2 an intermediate tubular metal post, and f and f upper and lower metal connecting-rods extending from E to E and passing centrally transversely through the intermediate post E2 near its ends, thereby forming rectangular sections of the rack, as D D2, on either side of the post E2. rl"he connectingrods f and f at their extremities may be iirmly connected with the posts E E in any proper manner-as, for example, their opposite ends may be screw-threaded-so as to engage with and be screwed lirmly into female screw sockets or holes in the upper and lower ends of the posts E E at the points a a', and thereby iirmly secure the parallelism of said frame.

The posts E E E2 are made of hollow round metal to secure lightness as well as strength, while theconnecting-rods f f may be made of metal piping, but of much larger diameter than the intermediate longitudinal. displaywires g. In fact, the posts E E E2 may also be made of metal piping for economy in constructing the rack, but of much greater diameter than the connecting-rods j' f. The longitudinal display-wires g, which are about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, are at one end bent into a scroll form, as at e, to abut against the post E when in place, and pass through propersized holes drilled through each of said posts E E E2, while at their opposite ends they are screw-threaded in order to be made taut, or screwed up by nuts, either as shown at e or e2, whichever may be preferred.

For artistic finish the posts E E E2 are each atV top capped by a metal acorn, and the exterior surface of the posts E E E2`,-Athe connecting-rodsf f2, and the display-Wires g are plated with-some incorrodible metal, nickelplating being preferably used for such purpose, so that dampness of temperature Will not result in having the goods hung, clasped, or hooked to the display-Wires g injured by contact with rust on the metal of the rack,

every portion of which rack may be nickelplated, thus presenting an attractive exterior throughout.

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As shown in Fig. 2, H represents a metal hook, which I spring and retain upon the display-Wires g, and on which I suspend various articles of merchandise, while also I employ metal clasps, as at Il', with which I fasten goods upon said wires, and which, when the goods are removed, remain clasped upon the wires for further use. These hooks and clasps are also nickel-plated, or plated with some non-corrosive metal, the same as the other portions f the display and sale rack D.

It may often happen in the display of goods that it is desirable to change the relative size of the areas of the sections D D2, and in such case the intermediate post E2 may be changed in position, either to the right or left hand along the display-Wires g and the connectingrods f and f thereby enlarging or contracting such sections at option. As shown in Fig. l, the rack is suspended from the ceiling C by standards m m,properly secu red thereto, and which sustain wheels s s', as shown, to receive a cord r, having its lower end properly fastened to the connecting-rod f of section D', as shown, while its opposite. end passes over an idler wheel or pulley s2, and to which cord a counterpoise sand-bag or shotbag weight w is attached to enable the rack to be elevated and lowered with ease. Another rope or cord, as r', is also attached to j of section D2, as shown, which cord, passing up over the wheel s', is also connected with the counterpoise w, (the weight of which may be increased or diminished at pleasure,) and whereby the two cords may be operated simultaneously by said counterpoise, and thus the rack be evenly elevated and lowered without strain or torsion.

Thus constructed, it will be seen t-hat my merchandise display and sale rack is especially useful in stores, .where it is of great importance to economize room; that it may be suspended from the ceiling' at any part where it will not interfere with the ordinary constructions for the display and sale lof goods, and that it will simultaneously display, when drawn down in front of a person making purchases, a great variety of goods from which it is desired to make selections, thus saving both time and labor.

If desired, these 'racks can be used at the side walls of stores, thereby at once presenting a very attract-ive and extensive display of goods, every article of which may be brought within reach Without the use of a ladder, and while the rack itself will present no foothold for either rats or mice, and which, .when elevated, carries the goods suspended thereon entirely outof reach of that destructive class of vermin.

It will be seen that with my construction the rack can be'operated with a single Weight or counterpoise w, the gravity of which may be varied, as desired, and that by placing the weight end of the rack near to one of the end walls of the store the weight and its contiguous cords will occupy a place where they will be most out of the way, and give no annoyance to persons in the room by the. raising and lowering of the rack, and, further, that the construction with posts at each end of the rack will have the effect to prevent the sagging oi' the display-wires g. I would stat-e, however, that while I prefer that the counterpoise of the rack should be effected as described, springs may be used for such pur-' pose, and that while metal is preferably employed as the material out of which to oonstruct the posts E E2 E and rods f f', I do not confine myself to such material, as some varieties of wood might with advantage be utilized for metal in their construction.

What I claim isl. In a merchants display and sale rack, the combination of the rack formed of end posts E E and upper and lower connectingrods f f and intermediate display-wires g, and the balancing and suspending mechanism attached to each end of the rack and to the wall or framework of the store-room, substantially as described.

2. In a merchants display and sale rack, the combination of the end posts E E', intermediate post E2, connecting-rods f f', intermediate display-wires g, passing transversely through the post E2 and serving as adjusting or tension rods, and the balancing and suspending mechanism attached to each end of the rack and to the wall or frame-work of the store-room, substantially as described.

3. In a merchandise display-rack, the coinbination of the posts lE E E2,connectingrods f f', display-wires g, provided with self-retaining hooks or clasps, and means for balancing and elevating and lowering the rack,

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said means being applied at each end of theY r rack and to the wall or frame-work rof the building, substantially as described.

4. In a rising and descending merchandise display and sale rack, in combination, the side supportingposts, and horizontally-connecting rods, cords, weight, and pulleys, a cord and pulley being at each end of the rack and both operated by a single weight at one end thereof, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my si gnature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL ROBERTSON DUNLAP.

Witnesses:

H. W. SANDERsoN, E. D. LIeHTFooT.

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